Device for counting leaves or sheets in piles or packets



Dec. 22, 1953 A. E. ROSSWALL 2,663,567

DEVICE FOR COUNTING LEAVES OR SHEETS IN FILES OR PACKETS 3 Sheets-Sheei1 Filed Aug. 25, 1951 Inventor g ttorney8 Dec. 22, 1953 A. E. ROSSWALLDEVICE FOR COUNTING LEAVES OR SHEETS IN FILES OR PACKETS 3 Sheets-Sheet2 Filed Aug. 25, 1951 Inventor 4250/ [o V/I? 301 n/a// Attorney? 1953 A.E. ROSSWALL 2,663,

DEVICE FOR COUNTING LEAVES OR SHEETS IN FILES OR PACKETS Filed Aug. 25,1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 I n ventor flxe/ [JV/r) Fan Wall A tlurneySPatented Dec. 22, 1953 UNITED sures: QPATNT OFFICE DEVICE FOR COUNTINGLEAVES. ORSHEETS IN FILES.- OR PACKETS- v, Axel Ed'vim-Rosswall,Lidingo', Sweden Application Augpst=25, 1951, Serial No. 243,680

3 Claims. 1

Thisinvention .relates v-ices.for counting leaves or, sheets injalpile,or packet. vertical pile. or they maybe. mounted verticallyv in apacket. The invention-belongsto thetype of to improvements;- in .de-L

Thesheets may lie. horizontally. in/a.

devicedescribed. and claimed. in. United States.

Patent No.12,393,8li.

It frequently occurs that. the .pile or. paclietof sheets. containsalarge number ,ofsheets and. therefore haswa; considerable. depth. or.thickness, i normal to the. sheets andone object of..the .pre's.-,'entinvention is: to. allow for. such..movements. oflthesuctionnozzleand-leaf shifter. aswill ena able them to travel throughthe. pile or. packet.

This-invention .consistsyin .a. devicerfor; count- 5 ing. leaves: or.sheets .in.which the suction. nozzle and the leaf shifter and theiroperating mechanism are. carried,on..a.- support. which. has. two.

independent .movements,, viz. (1.) a. tilting movement about-va.horizontalshaft to.allow for the limitedv travel. of. the.--v suction.nozzlez, and. leaf shifter.inrelationto-the' pile. or. packet,,andI (2)a positive intermittentmovementof the support and its associatedshaftinadirectionnormal to the sheets- Broadly stated, the inventioncomprisesadevicefor. counting leavesjor. sheets. horizontally,

held in. a. vertical. pilel or lyin'g.vertically,in a

packet characterised by. the. factv that the, sheet separatingmechanism. is.mountedi on asupport' (platformor frame)v capable. oftilting. about a horizontal shaft and also capable ofmovement;

normaLto. the sheets insuchamanner thatlthe suction vnozzleand theleafshifter, while perform.-

ing. their worlein the pile or packet, climb up. or along, the. pile,or; packet thereby rotating the.

support around'saidhorizontal shaft and further characterised by thefact that thejdevice provided with a. lifting or shifting. mechanismcontrolled by the. support and serving. to impart a lifting or shiftingmovement to said shaft insuch a-manner that each partial liftingorshiftingmovement of the shaftis initiated when the.

support, during the work of thesheet-separating. mechanism in the pileor packet, hasbeen rotated in one direction by apredetermined amount andis finished when the support, by the: partial lifting or shifting"movementof the shafthas. been rotated inthe opposite direction by a.predetermined amount.

In the particular. case where the sheets ina vertical pile lie.horizontally, the invention is characterised by the. factthat the.sheet-.s'epar rating mechanism is. mounted. on a support capable oftilting. about; a. horizontal shaft and 2'; also capable of verticalmovementin such a manner thatthe suction nozzle and the.leaf shifter,

While performing their work .in the pile; climb up the pile, thereby.rotating the support around said horizontal shaft,.and furthercharacterised by the factflthat the device is provided with a liftingmechanism. controlled by the sheet-separatingjmechanism and serving toimpart a liftingmovement. to. said shaft in such a manner that eachpartial lifting movement of the'shaft is initiated when the. support,during the work of the sheet-separating mechanism in the pile,

has been rotatedin one direction by a predetermined amount and isfinished when'the-support, by the partial lifting movement of the shaft,has been rotated in the opposite direction by a predetermined amount;

Preferably the device comprising the suctionnozzle and leaf shifterissupported by a platform or framesuspended from a horizontal shaftwhich is carried by arunner vertically movable on guides, which runnerunder control bythe tilting of the supporting platform or frame, iscaused to perform the intermittent lifting movement thereof. Thus therunner may be intermittently lifted by means of a rotary but axiallystationary screwed spindle engaging a nut mounted on the runner.

' In one form of the device an electric switch controlled by therotation of the support aboutthe horizontal shaft is adapted alternatelyto energise and de-energise an electricmotor arranged to effect thenecessary movement of the screwed spindle. The switch may be a mercuryswitch which is tiltable by thetiltingmovementof the support.

The nature of this invention and the manner in which it is performedwill'be appreciated-from the embodiment of the invention illustrated inthe accompanying drawingsin which:

Figure 1' is a front view'ofthe machine,

Figure 2 is an elevation of the machine as to be oscillated, forinstance from a shaft 3 actuated in a manner not specifically shown, bymeans of a crank disc 4 secured thereto and having a crank pin 5, apitman 6, a rocking lever 'I and a shaft 8 supporting the suction nozzleI, said shaft being provided with a bore and, for instance, at 9connected to a source of vacuum, whereas the arm 2 is adapted to berotated around the suction nozzle I by means of a crank disc Iii, acrank pin II and a pitman I2 passing through a sleeve I3 rotativelymounted.

According to the invention the entire sheetseparating mechanism ismounted for tilting or rotational movement about a horizontal shaft I6which in the embodiment shown is secured by mounting thesheet-separating mechanism on a platform I 4 which by means of arms I5is coupled to said horizontal shaft I6. The system tilting about theshaft I6 is then so balanced that the platform I 4 tends to rotateclockwise in Figures 2 and 3 under the influence of a non-balanced forceof suitable size. The platform I 4 will therefore occupy an inclinedposition in which the suction nozzle I according to Figure 2 is pressedby a suitable force against the bottom face of the lowermost sheet inthe pile S which is supposed to be supported by a stationary baseindicated at IT. Preferably the pile is so placed that the suctionnozzle I is situated below one of the corners of the pile.

In experiments as made it has been found that the sheet-separatingmechanism when mounted for tilting about the shaft I6 in the mannerabove described, said shaft being preferably situated approximately atthe level of the suctionnozzle I, will, so to speak, by itself climb upthe pile and then separate the sheets in the pile S individually by theoscillating movement of the suction nozzle I effected by the pitman 6,while the leaf shifter arm 2 by its rotating movement effected by thepitman I2 round the suction nozzle I releases each sheet attracted bythe suction nozzle therefrom so that the suction nozzle then attractsthe sheet immediately thereabove in the pile S. In this way thesheet-separating mechanism climbs up the pile S as may be seen from acomparison between Figures 2 and 3. This automatic climbing of thesheet-separating mech anism ensures that all of the sheets are actuallyseparated one by one even if their thickness should vary.

After the sheet-separating mechanism in this manner has climbed up thepile S to a certain extent and the platform I4 thereby has been tiltedfrom its position in Figure 2 to the position in Figure 3, the shaft I6is raised a certain distance at a rate of speed exceeding the rate ofspeed at which the sheet-separating mechanism climbs up the pile wherebythe platform I4 is moved to a position in which it is less inclined thanin Figure 3, for instance occupies a position of inclinationcorresponding to that shown in Figure 2, but with the suction nozzlespaced at some distance from the bottom of the pile. Obviously, duringthis lifting movement of the shaft I6, the sheet-separating mechanismcontinues to climb up the pile S. The raising of the shaft I 6 ceaseswhen the platform I4 has been rotated to the lower position shown inFigure 2 and the shaft I6 remains then stationary until thesheetseparating mechanism has climbed up a further distance in the pilewhereupon the shaft I6 once more is raised.

In the embodiment of the invention above de- 4 scribed the intermittentlifting of the shaft I6 is effected in the following manner.

As may be seen from Figure 1. the shaft I6 is mounted in a runner I8which is vertically movable on posts l9. Secured to the bottom face ofthe platform I4 is a lever 20 performing a rocking movement in responseto the rotation of the platform I4 about the shaft I6 above describedand engaging a lever 2| preferably by means of a pin and an oblong slot.The lever 2| forms a support for a switch in the form of a mercury tube22 and is mounted for rotation on a base 23 associated with the runner,by means of an angular support 24 secured to the base 23. When theplatform I4 occupies the position of inclination as shown in Figure 2the lever 20 maintains the lever 2I in such a position that the mercuryswitch 22 is open, as indicated in Figure 2, but when the sheetseparating mechanism according to the foregoing climbs up the pile, andthe platform I4 then is rotated to occupy the position shown in Figure3, then the lever 20 and thereby the lever 2| and the mercury switch 22supported thereon are tilted to occupy such a position that the mercuryswitch is closed as indicated in Figure 3. Thus, current is suppliedthrough the switch 22 to an electromotor diagrammatically indicated at25 and resting on a floor or some other .stationary base. The motor 25actuates by means of a worm gear 26 an axially stationary rotary screwspindle 21 engaging a nut indicated at 28 and secured to the runner l8.Thus whenever theswitch 22 by the rotation of the platform I 4 is causedto occupy the position shown in Figure 3, the motor 25 is energized sothat it will begin to rotate the screw spindle 2'! whereby the latter bymeans of the nut 28 moves the runner up the posts I9. The shaft I6 isthereby raised which in turn results in that the platform I4 is causedto occupy the position of inclination shown in Figure 2 whereby themercury switch 22 is inclined at such an angle that it is opened asindicated in Figure 2. Thus, the current to the motor 25 is interruptedand consequently the rotation of the screw spindle 21 ceases and,therefore, the runner stops. After the sheet separatingmechanismaccording to the foregoing has climbed a further distance upthe pile S the switch 22 is again closed whereby the screw spindle 21 isrotated by the motor 25 so that the runner and thereby the shaft I6 areonce more raised.

Obviously the invention is not restricted to the form described indetails in the foregoing and illustrated in the drawings but may berealised in many other forms within the scope of the subsequent claims.Thus, the raising movement of the shaft l6 need not be affected by anintermittently rotating electromotor but the rotation of the platform I4may be utilised to produce the intermittent raising of the shaft l 6 bypurely mechanical means, for instance, by using the tilting movements ofthe platform I4 for enga ing and disengaging a clutch by means of whicha lifting mechanism for the runner is actuated from any suitable sourceof power.

Again, instead of using the platform I4, a frame mainly composed of twovertical side plates, may carry the shaft l6 and may also carry thespindles of the cranks 4 and I0 and other 0peratin parts of the sheettransferring mechanism.

The device as a whole may be used for counting vertical sheets arrangedin a packet and in that case the intermittent shifting of the horizontalshaft I5 takes place in the horizontal direction.

The successful operation of the suction nozzle l and the leaf shifter 2results in the successive operation of a counter of the cyclometer type,and it is an important subsidiary feature of this invention that if, forany reason, the suction nozzle and leaf-shifter failed to shift a leaf,the counter or cyclometer should not advance by one unit. It will beunderstood that while the suction nozzle is pressed against a sheet andthe sheet is lying snugly in the concave part of the suction nozzle, thedegree of vacuum in the suction nozzle is fully maintained, but if thereis no sheet actually closing the orifice or orifices in the concaveportion of the suction nozzle, the degree of vacuum suddenly falls, andthe actuating device of the counter or cyclometer is controlled by thedegree of vacuum in the suction nozzle. Further there is on the front ofthe machine a vacuum gauge which shows when the vacuum supplied to thesuction nozzle is above a predetermined figure (say 50 centimetres ofwater) and behind the vacuum gauge is a vertical chamber exposed to thevacuum and supplied with a microswitch which is adapted to cut out themain driving motor of the machine when the vacuum falls below thespecified figure. The machine may be fixed and the packet may move.

I claim:

1. A device for counting leaves arranged in packet form, comprising anoscillatory pneumatic leaf detacher for successively engaging anddetaching the leaves of a packet and a leaf shifter movable in a closedpath about the leaf detacher whereby the leaves are successively shiftedfrom one side to the other of said detacher, operating mechanism for theleaf shifter and leaf detacher, a support carrying the suction nozzleand the leaf shifter and their operating mechanism, a slide, a pivotalconnection between the support and slide, which connection has a pivotaxis parallel with the planes of the leaves, a slideway for the slideextending in a direction normal to the faces of the leaves, and meansimparting intermittent movement to the slide along the slideway, saidslideway being vertically disposed and the pivot axis of the connectionbetween the support and the slide being horizontal whereby operation ofthe suction housing and the leaf shifter cause them to climb up thepile, thereby rotating the support about the horizontal axis, thelifting mechanism actuating the slide, a control therefor actuated by apredetermined rotation of the support in one direction so as to initiatethe lifting movement and actuated by a predetermined rotation of thesupport in the opposite direction to stop the lifting mechanism 2. Adevice for counting leaves arranged in packet form, comprising anoscillatory pneumatic leaf detacher for successively engaging anddetaching the leaves of a packet and a leaf shifter movable in a closedpath about the leaf detacher whereby the leaves are successively shiftedfrom one side to the other of said detacher, operating mechanism for theleaf shifter and leaf detacher, a support carrying the suction nozzleand the leaf shifter and their operating mechanism, a slide, a pivotalconnection between the support and slide, which connection has a pivotaxi parallel with the planes of the leaves, a slideway for the slideextending in a direction normal to the faces of the leaves, and meansimparting intermittent movement to the slide along the slideway, saidmeans comprising an electric motor from a transmission between theelectric motor and the slide, an electric switch in circuit with themotor, which switch is actuated by the pivotal movement of the platformabout the horizontal axis.

3. A device for counting leaves arranged in packet form, comprising anoscillatory pneumatic leaf detacher for successively engaging anddetaching the leaves of a packet and a leaf shifter movable in a closedpath about the leaf detacher whereby the leaves are successively shiftedfrom one side to the other of said detacher, operating mechanism for theleaf shifter and leaf detacher, a support carrying the suction nozzleand the leaf shifter and their operating mechanism, a slide, a pivotalconnection between the support and slide, which connection has a pivotaxis parallel with the planes of the leaves, a slideway for the slideextending in a direction normal to the faces of the leaves, and meansimparting intermittent movement to the slide along the slideway, saidslideway being vertically disposed and the pivot axis of the connectionbetween the support and the slide is horizontal, the platform beingswung by the pivotal connection from said slide so that the pneumaticleaf detacher is held upwardly against said leaves, and said meansimparting the intermittent movement of the slide along the slidewaycomprises an electric motor, a threaded vertical spindle driven therebyand a nut on said slide engaged by said spindle, an electric switch incircuit with the electric motor, actuating means for said switch on theplatform whereby the switch is opened and interrupts the motor circuitat a predetermined angular position of the platform.

AXEL EDVIN ROSSWALL.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number

